§ MR. SHEILasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the Guardians of Old-castle Union granted a superannuation allowance of £38 2s. 8d. a-year to Mr. John Flood, aged 67 years, which was duly sanctioned by the Local Government Board; whether the same Guardians granted a superannuation allowance of £12 a-year to Mr. Francis Hartley, age 71 years, which was disallowed by the Local Government Board on the ground that Mr. Hartley did not devote his whole time to the service of the Union; whether the Oldcastle Guardians pointed out that Mr. Flood had not given his whole service to the Union; and, whether the Local Government Board in continuing the sanction of the payment of a pension to Mr. Flood is acting legally?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, the facts are substantially as stated; but it should be mentioned that when the Guardians 213 submitted to the Local Government Board the claims of Mr. Flood to pension, there was nothing whatever to show that his entire time had not been devoted to the two Poor Law offices in respect of which it was proposed to pension him; and it was in the belief that this was the case that the Local Government Board sanctioned the grant. The Superannuation Act does not contain any express provision enabling the Board to cancel the grant; but they will take legal advice as to whether they have power to take such a step.